Research Impact Canada (RIC)

Research Impact Canada (RIC) is committed to helping universities and other organizations across Canada maximize the impact of research for communities.

From sharing best practices, co-developing resources, to delivering training in knowledge mobilization skills, we are an open and collaborative network of 20+ universities (and growing!) across Canada.

What We Do

We are a national leader in helping universities and other organizations create value and impact from knowledge. Through a focus on sharing best practices, co-developing resources, and delivering training in knowledge mobilization, we help build institutional capacity to turn knowledge into action. We work with both academic and non-academic stakeholders across a variety of organizations – including researchers, research administrative staff, academics, students, faculty, public sector leaders, and projects dedicated to skills development. 

We help build institutional and organizational capacity through:

• Facilitating a national bilingual community of practice where members have opportunities to engage in active dialogue, share best practices, and contribute unique content in their areas of expertise. 
• Developing and sharing tools and resources that help create impactful research and meaningful engagement. 
• Delivering training in key knowledge mobilization areas such as: impact planning, compelling communications, effective stakeholder engagement, impact evaluation, and more.

In 2003, York University’s David J. Phipps saw the opportunity for an institutional investment in maximizing research impact, agnostic of research discipline. While universities have been investing in commercialization and industry liaison these functions do not capture research that has the potential to make an impact on professional practice, social services and public policies.

After three years of partnership building and consultations, RIC was founded in 2006 by York University and the University of Victoria. Since then, we have found incredible value and have been successful in being able to share learnings and best practices across institutions, diverse disciplines, and work functions. Leveraging a national bilingual network, RIC has grown to 20+ universities across Canada, with a strong regional presence in nine provinces.

In 2019, RIC was invited to support knowledge mobilization efforts and capacity building for the Future Skills Centre, a pan-Canadian initiative dedicated to helping Canadians gain the skills they need to thrive in a changing labour market.

Recognizing that knowledge mobilisation is not unique to universities, In 2021, RIC began piloting membership to non-academic organizations with a research and knowledge mobilization mandate.